H1345 revises Florida’s public-private partnership law to explicitly include coastal resiliency projects as qualifying projects and creates a new statute giving the Department of Environmental Protection exclusive authority to execute those projects through public-private partnerships. The bill defines coastal resiliency projects broadly to cover planning and construction aimed at addressing flooding, sea level rise, stormwater drainage, seawall repair and upgrades, infrastructure hardening, natural barriers, flood barriers, property acquisition in flood-prone areas, and restoration of natural protective systems.
The bill also authorizes DEP to use several tools to attract private investment, including long-term revenue-sharing agreements, expedited permitting, public and local-government input during planning, and coordination with vocational schools and apprenticeship programs to train workers for resiliency construction. It requires DEP to publish biennial progress reports and maintain an online dashboard showing project milestones, expenditures, and public benefits. The measure takes effect upon becoming law.
Impact
The bill amends section 255.065, Florida Statutes, by expanding the definition of a qualifying project for public-private partnerships to include coastal resiliency projects and by limiting certain hospital and municipal utility projects to those designated by the relevant governing board. It also creates section 380.0934, Florida Statutes, establishing a new framework for DEP-led coastal resiliency public-private partnerships and shifting exclusive project execution authority to the department. The practical effect is to centralize state oversight of these projects within DEP and to create a statutory pathway for private-sector participation in flood mitigation and coastal protection infrastructure.
Sentiment
The available voting history suggests strong support for the bill, as it passed the House Natural Resources & Disasters Subcommittee unanimously 16-0. No committee transcript excerpts were provided, so there is no recorded debate to indicate opposition or concerns in the materials supplied. Overall, the bill appears to have been received favorably as a resiliency and infrastructure measure.
Contention
The main policy issue embedded in the bill is the concentration of authority in the Department of Environmental Protection, which is given exclusive power to execute coastal resiliency projects through public-private partnerships. Potential points of contention include the use of expedited permitting, long-term revenue-sharing agreements, and the role of private entities in public infrastructure and land acquisition, as well as how local governments and the public are incorporated into project planning. The bill also narrows flexibility for certain hospital and municipal utility projects by requiring governing-board designation for qualifying status.